Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) Shares Purchased by Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Free Report) by 601.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,181 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,870 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.'s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $254,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 75.0% during the 1st quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 62,469 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,288,000 after acquiring an additional 26,763 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. grew its stake in Morgan Stanley by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 162,269 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,400,000 after purchasing an additional 42,743 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 499,554 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,804,000 after purchasing an additional 14,283 shares during the period. Pamalican Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,513,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,686,000. Institutional investors own 84.19% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Eric F. Grossman sold 10,068 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.65, for a total value of $1,124,092.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 199,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,248,942.10. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew M. Saperstein sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $4,800,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 335,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,291,800. This trade represents a 10.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 50,868 shares of company stock worth $6,019,548. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of MS stock traded up $0.34 on Wednesday, hitting $141.47. 2,702,719 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,687,071. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $90.94 and a 12 month high of $145.16. The stock has a market cap of $226.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $130.63 and a 200 day moving average of $126.37.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.39. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 12.98%. The company had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 1st that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a $0.925 dividend. This represents a $3.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MS shares. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Morgan Stanley from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $127.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America reduced their price target on Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $136.69.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.